HPNG: The Forgotten Prophecy
by signed anonymous
Summary: POST DH: Next Generation Story! As four young wizards enter Hogwarts, they have no idea how much their lives were meant to cross. Join the next generation as they grow up; experience life; discover new adventures; and rewrite history.
1. taking risks

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter and etc; JK Rowling and whoever else does!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: _Hello! This is my first shot at a fanfiction for Harry Potter. Well it's a remake of an old story I began years ago, but I tweaked things. This takes place after the epilogue so... DH spoilers! JSYK, the story won't revolve entirely around one character. As this is a New Generation story, the content will consist of mostly adventure, friendship, and later romance. Forgive me if my style and grammar irritates you. HAPPY READING :D_

**HARRY POTTER: NEXT GENERATION – The Forgotten Prophecy**

_signed anonymous_

**chapter 1: taking risks**

Albus Severus Potter stepped onto the Hogwarts Express with his cousin, Rose Weasley. The two cousins waved farewell to their parents as the train began to move.

"Rosie, Al!" called a voice with a light French accent.

A girl with long silvery-blond hair, blue eyes and light freckles on her cheek walked towards Albus and Rose. It was their cousin, Victoire Weasley, who marched up to them full of rage. The two younger cousins gulped as she began to talk.

"'ave you seen James?" Victoire asked angrily with a flushed face.

"N-no, haven't seen him since we got on." Albus said nervously.

"Hmph. Tell your brother he has it coming!" Victoire said folding her arms before turning to Rose. "Oh Rosie, let me help you. You don't want your wild hair to shadow your beautiful face and brilliant brain."

As Victoire pulled Rose's messy hair into a neat side pony tail Rose asked, "How will you get back at him?"

"Remember: I'm Head Girl this year, I 'ave my ways." Victoire said mischievously before turning to Albus. "So you really 'ave _no_ idea where he is?"

Under Victoire's death glare Albus stammered, "You'll probably find him with his best friend, Christian Jordan."

"Thanks!" Victoire said leaving Albus and Rose alone by the door.

"I'm never crossing Victoire! She's scary!" Albus stated.

"Correction: never cross a female Weasley: period!" Rose said giggling as she admired the new hairstyle Victoire gave her.

"Yeah, all of you have such a nasty temper!"

"Hey!"

"Just kidding Rose! Let's go look for a compartment now."

To their misfortune, every compartment they passed was full and the one at the end of the corridor seemed to be their last hope. Albus peered through the window of the last compartment and excitedly said, "Rosie! It looks like there's only one person in this one! We should ask to join them!" Rose nodded in agreement and Albus happily stepped into the compartment. Inside a boy with white-blond hair and gray eyes sat reading a book. "May I help you?" the boy asked glancing up from his book.

Rose recognized the face of the boy; it was the boy her father told her to stay away from. She gasped and whispered to Albus, "Al! We can't sit here! That's the boy my father was talking about! I'm not supposed to get too friendly with him!"

Albus whispered back, "Uncle Ron is crazy Rosie! He can't stop you from making friends! Even Aunt Hermione scolded him for being ridiculous!"

"I know, but I'd hate to get my dad angry! You know how he gets..."

The boy coughed for attention, "I'm still here." Albus and Rose quickly straightened up realizing that the boy must have been watching them for ages.

"I'm sorry! We were just wondering if we could sit here; all the compartments are full." Albus asked. "Do what you want." the boy said as he returned to reading his book.

Leaving their luggage in the doorway, Rose shot Albus an '_are you sure_' look as Albus nodded and took a seat opposite of the boy. Rose reluctantly sighed and sat next to her cousin. The three sat together in silence until Albus spoke up and said,

"I'm Albus Severus Potter. Nice to meet you."

"I already knew who you were, my father pointed you out before I boarded. You're the son of the great Harry Potter: my father's rival during their Hogwarts years." the boy said calmly without looking up. "And father said the girl must be the daughter of Harry Potter's best friends, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger."

Albus frowned, "Just because our fathers were enemies doesn't mean we have to be."

"Life may turn out easier if we just kept things as they are." the boy stated as he turned a page in his book. "My father basically warned me the same thing as the Weasley girl."

"Told you he's no good." Rose whispered in a know-it-all tone.

"Oh, just shush Rosie: you weren't too nice yourself." Albus said as he walked up to the boy and held out his hand.

"What?" the boy asked finally looking up to see Albus smiling brightly.

"I don't care how hard life could get, I like taking risks. How about you?" Albus asked holding his hand out.

"Sorry, I'm not a risk taker." the boy said coldly as he went back to reading his book.

Albus lowered his hand, his face reflected shock due to his failed first attempt at making friends. He was about to say something when Rose stood up and spoke 'for' him. "That was incredibly rude of you!" Rose said angrily as she marched up to the boy and looked down on him.

"His father did the same thing to mine back when they were first years. If the great Harry Potter can get away without taking someone's friendship, I don't see why I can't." the boy stated calmly staring directly into Rose's blue eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Rose demanded. "Don't speak ill of Uncle Harry!"

"I'm only stating the truth." the boy replied calmly. "If you want confirmation, why don't you ask your father and uncle about their first trip on the train."

Rose's blood began to boil as she desperately searched for a comeback against the only person who has ever put her at a loss of words, "I-I don't know what my dad was thinking! There is no way I'm ever getting friendly with _your_ sort!"

The boy retaliated calmly, "_My_ sort? I'm surprised the daughter of Hermione Granger could say such a thing. I thought you had been raised to sport better manners."

"I'd like to say the same thing about you. With all the humiliation your father went through, I didn't think you would be into this class stuff."

The boys eyes flicked anger at the mention of his father's history, "I'm not. _You're_ the one who mentioned the different sorts in the first place."

The boy continued to glare as Rose began to turn as red as her hair from embarrassment and anger: nobody outwit Rose Weasley.

"You are completely infuriating! Just get out of here and stop bothering us!" Rose said hotly.

"In case you didn't notice, _I_ was here first." the boy triumphantly smirked as he started to read his book again.

"I'm going to cool off a bit, Al." Rose huffed as she stomped out the door tripping over one of the trunks.

Albus nodded slowly; he was still shocked from the boy's refusal of friendship and even more shocked that Rose lost an argument.

"Are you going to stand there gawking like a mindless bat the whole trip?" the boy said putting his book down.

Albus blinked as he began to come back to reality, "Oh- uh sorry. That was just shocking."

The boy eyed Albus with curiousity as Albus attempted to lift his trunk into the overhang.

"Need some help?" the boy asked as he helped lift the trunk before Albus could respond.

"Thanks." Albus replied as they also lifted Rose's trunk.

The two boys sat down opposite of each other. Besides the hooting of Albus's snowy owl (which sat at his feet), everything was quiet.

Albus broke the silence, "I can't believe you made her stomp out angrily!"

The blonde boy looked at Albus's face, which clearly expressed that he was very amused, and smirked. "It wasn't that hard, she has quite the temper."

"Well, that was _brilliant_! I've never seen anyone outwit Rosie!"

The boy let out a chuckle, "It was quite fun really. She has an extremely smart mouth."

"You do too, yours might be even smarter than hers!" Albus said excitedly and added after pondering for a quick second, "That's pretty scary!"

The two boys laughed as Albus told the boy about how difficult it is to be with Rose.

"I mean, I love her to death: she's my favorite cousin, but it's hard to be friends with someone who knows so much more than you do AND someone who is hardly _ever_ wrong!" Albus exclaimed.

"I can imagine." The boy agreed as he opened his book again.

Albus smiled, "Do you really not want to be friends?"

The boy looked up from his book and diverted his gaze to the window, "I don't need friends."

"Why?"

"They just weigh you down. Extra baggage if you ask me. Sometimes they even stab you in the back."

"I can see where you're coming from, but not everyone is like that! I'm certainly not!"

"Maybe, but I don't want to take that risk again."

"Again?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but all the '_friends_' I've had always talked behind my back or always had a guard against me. They all think that I will act like my how my father did when he was young. Honestly, just because I _look_ like my father does not mean I _am _him!"

"I understand you perfectly! Just because I'm the '_spitting image of Harry Potter_' everyone thinks I'm going to be something great, but I'm just a regular boy: nothing special about me..."

"Well, at least your father is known for being great. Mine is known for being... not."

"That's true, but at least you can know who genuinely wants to be your friend. Sometimes I feel like people only want to be my friend because my dad is famous."

"Which adds to my theory: we shouldn't have friends. It's too much of a risk."

"But what's life without taking risks?"

The boy pondered for a moment, "Boring I suppose."

"Exactly! So, why not take a risk and be my friend? I can't guarantee that we'll always be on the good side of each other, but I'll try my best!" Albus said offering his hand once again. "I don't care what our family history is: that was then and this is now."

The boy stared at Albus's hand for a long time as Albus continued to smile. Finally, the boy smirked, "Albus Severus Potter, you have finally convinced me. I'll take the risk." The boy leaned forward and shook Albus's hand and introduced himself, "Scorpius Malfoy: your new... friend."

"Call me Al." Albus said happily as he thought, _make new friends: check!_

The boys grinned knowing that this might be the start of a great friendship. At this moment, Rose came back into the compartment, looked at the boys hands and started to blush, "Goodness Al! With _him_? You never told me you swung that way!"

Albus rolled his eyes as he let go of Scorpius's hand, "Honestly, Rose, I thought you had brains. That was just the confirmation of our truce: we're friends now, see?"

Albus smiled at Scorpius who nodded his head slowly. Scorpius was bewildered by the amount of happiness that shined out of Albus: if he were to give anyone a title for most optimistic it'd be to Albus Severus Potter.

"Are you _sure_ you're not... a fruitcup?" Scorpius asked Albus seriously.

"Of course not! Get your minds out of the gutter, both of you!" Albus defensively stated while crossing his arms. "Just because I act happily, doesn't mean I swing that way!"

Rose giggled, "I guess you're right considering you have the hugest crush on our family friend, Beth-"

Albus covered Rose's mouth, "Don't say it Rosie! She might be around!"

Scorpius laughed, "As long as you don't love boys, I'm fine! It'd be incredibly awkward to have a friend that might like me."

Albus let go of Rose's mouth, "You don't have to worry about me mate. Maybe Rosie here."

"I don't know what you're talking about Albus Severus Potter! I don't like–" Rose turned scarlet, "I'm sorry, what's your name?"

"Scorpius Malfoy." Scorpius answered.

"Thank you," Rose nodded at Scorpius, "I do not fancy Scorpius Malfoy! I am not even_ friends_ with him."

Albus looked at Scorpius who shrugged, "Like I said, I don't need friends."

Rose frowned realizing that Scorpius wasn't going to ask her to be friends. Angered that Scorpius might be the first friend she and Albus didn't share, Rose blurted, "Honestly, you are completely infuriating! I don't understand why Al would __want__ to be friends with you!"

"There's more to him than what meets the eye Rose!" Albus argued; if there was one thing his father taught him, it was to give people chances.

"Well, I don't want to find out. I'll listen to my father's advice." Rose said snobbishly as she walked up to Scorpius who looked up at her with amusement.

"Scorpius Malfoy, I now pronounce you as rival of me, Rose Weasley!" Rose stated suddenly. She then smirked as she offered her hand towards him, "Do you accept?"

Albus looked at his cousin with amusement, she was serious: the fire inside her seemed to be sparking out. What amazed Albus even more was that Scorpius's cool aura seemed to spark out just as much as Rose's did when he replied, "I do." Albus watched the violent sparks fly as Rose and Scorpius shook hands.

"I promise I will beat you at everything!" Rose stated.

"You can _try_, but we both know that promises can be broken." Scorpius replied with a smirk.

As the Hogwarts Express sped towards its destination, the awkwardness between three first years began to diminish as they talked about the latest quidditch games and wizarding news. The food trolley passed by their compartment and Albus, Rose and Scorpius bought a ton of food for the rest of their trip. As Albus stuffed a cauldron cake in his mouth he asked everyone what house they wanted to get sorted into. Scorpius was first to reply stating that his life would be easier if he got into Slytherin like the rest of his famiy. Rose discussed her fear of disinheritance if she was not sorted into Gryffindor. Albus tried to laugh, but it never came because he shared similar fears.

"James taunted me all day about being sorted into Slytherin." Albus complained before turning to Scorpius, "No offense, Scorpius."

Scorpius shook his head, "None taken. Anyone with a mustard-sized brain would realize how much Slytherins are hated."

Rose nodded in agreement, "It _is_ rather unfortunate. You'd think that after the Second Wizarding War all the division and prejudice would be over."

"Sadly, the only thing that diminished were the divisions between blood statuses." Scorpius added as Albus noticed Scorpius's hand curl into a fist around the licorice wand he held. "Soon after the war, everything revolved around how much did your parents, your family, your house helped. Nobody ever cares about what you did afterward or how people changed."

Albus looked at Scorpius with concern. Recalling the little history his family (mostly Uncle Ron) spoke of, it was no surprise that the subject was sensitive to Scorpius. After the last war, the Malfoys were hated by everyone: both good and bad.

"Yeah, I just hate when people assume they know everything about you before they even _know_ you." Albus stated as he thought of how Scorpius's life must have been like. Compared to Scorpius, Albus had a great life and the guilt for all the times Albus complained about people loving his family_ too much_ began to weigh on him.

Rose, in order to relieve tension and change the subject, reached out for Scorpius's book, "Oh! What book is this?"

"_Hogwarts: A History_." Scorpius replied as Albus snorted.

"I can't believe you have this!" Rose squealed, a sound frightening both Albus and Scorpius, as she flipped the book's pages.

Albus sniggered, "You _would_ freak about that book, Rose."

"Of course, Al!" Rose replied unmoved by Albus's insult, "You know it's my favorite and this is _the latest edition_!"

"Wow, Weasley, who knew we would have a similar favorite item." Scorpius grinned.

"You like that book too?" Albus cried in disbelief.

"Guess I'm full of surprises." Scorpius shrugged before a smirk spread across his mouth, "Bet you didn't know that I enjoy learning, Weasley. Hope you didn't assume your previous promise would be easy to keep."

Rose's blue eyes met Scorpius's gray ones as her face reflected shock from the possibility of Scorpius being intelligent. After a few seconds she finally composed herself and retorted, "It doesn't matter how intelligent you are, Malfoy. I'm confident in my abilities." Without diverting her gaze Rose closed __Hogwarts: A History __and returned Scorpius's smirk with mischievous smile, "I don't do anything with half-effort."

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you two were flirting." Albus interjected.

Rose and Scorpius smiles turned to frowns as red tint crept up their cheeks. Simultaneously they both yelled, "We're not flirting!"

"Rivals don't _flirt_!" Rose screeched.

"Yeah!" Scorpius agreed. "Your ideas are insane, Albus Potter!"

"Okay, okay. I was just kidding." Albus laughed before changing the subject, "So, Scorpius, why is that your favorite book?"

Rose handed the book to Scorpius as he began his explanation. "First of all: I like knowing as much as I can about the places I go to and since I'll be at Hogwarts for the next seven years this book's the best place to start. Second: the history is very fascinating. Third: I wanted more perspective of the stories my parents told. I love my father, but he does skew stories a bit."

"Don't worry, your dad isn't the only one who occasionally skews stories." Rose chimed in.

"Occasionally?" Albus stated skeptically.

"Okay, fine." Rose rolled her eyes, "My dad skews stories _all the time –_he likes making himself sound cool."

Scorpius sighed, "At least your dad can make himself sound cool. Unfortunately, my father did things that are impossible to make cool."

"Even if your father did those things," Albus said looking at Scorpius's vacant expression, "I think it's pretty cool that he was honest and open about the dark choices he made."

"I suppose," Scorpius shrugged, "but it's less admirable considering I basically forced the truth out of him."

"How did you __force __the truth from your Dad?" Albus asked.

Scorpius nodded, "One day, after I was teased horribly at a get-together, I spiked my father's tea with veritaserum and asked him everything from his first year to his last. That's why I knew all about the Potter-Weasley-Malfoy history."

"_Teased_?" Rose whispered.

"Yeah, by my family _friends'_ children who came over every now and then." Scorpius replied bitterly.

"Growing up must have been dreadful." Rose speculated.

Scorpius nodded, "I won't lie: it was. The only good thing was that my family always encouraged me..."

"I don't know why our parents hated each other, but you're family doesn't sound nearly as repulsive as my father as my father claims. I'm sorry I assumed who you were when I met you. My actions were awful and rude." Rose apologized looking Scorpius directly in the eye, "Father says I'm not supposed to get too friendly with you, but I don't see the harm."

Scorpius softened his gaze at Rose as she smiled apologetically. In contrast to Rose's fire-like first impression, Scorpius understood that she was a sweet girl. She, like him, only desired to make her family happy and that sometimes got the better of them.

"No worries," Scorpius smiled, "but don't get too soft on me, Weasley, or else I'd have to find a new rival."

Rose laughed, "Don't worry, the real battle starts when we get to school."

"Correction: the real battle started when we shook hands," Scorpius smirked, "And I believe I'm winning."

"He got you, Rosie!" Albus taunted.

"On what grounds are you winning?" Rose's cheeks filled with color. Although she was embarrassed of her competitive personality, she couldn't help continuing her argument with Scorpius, "I can't believe I just apologized to a prat like you!"

"Thank you for the compliment." Scorpius replied casually.

"I'd like to see you keep that face when I beat you in test marks!"

"Don't worry, you'll always see this face because this will be the same expression I give every time I beat you."

Albus sighed, "Just when I thought you two were finally getting along..."

"Don't worry, Al. Nothing dangerous: it's just friendly rivalry." Scorpius stated. "Right, Weasley?"

"Yes," Rose rolled her eyes and sarcastically replied, "the b_est of friends _friendly."

Albus laughed. Amused by the new friendships they had made, he thought of lyrics his younger sister Lily sang occasionally: this year would definitely be totally awesome.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:_ Hope you enjoyed! Next chapter the children get sorted and you get introduced to many other characters! _Please_ R/R: constructive criticism if flaming is desired. THANKS!_


	2. holding no regrets

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter and etc; JK Rowling and whoever else does!

AUTHOR'S NOTE:_ Hello! Thank you to those who reviewed/favorite/subscribed to this story! Hope you enjoy not only the kids getting sorted, but also the new characters in this era. Please remember to REVIEW! Happy Reading!_

**HARRY POTTER: NEXT GENERATION – The Forgotten Prophecy**

_signed anonymous_

**chapter 2: holding no regrets**

The Hogwarts Express finally came to a stop and all the students departed the train with excitement. Rose, Albus and Scorpius heard a voice calling all the first years. Rose and Albus squealed, realizing that the voice belonged to Hagrid. The cousins sprinted toward their half-giant friend with a hesitant Scorpius trailing behind them.

"Hagrid!" Albus called out.

"Hagrid, oh, how we missed you!" Rose said once they finally reached him.

Hagrid smiled and gave Albus and Rose one large hug. As Scorpius caught up, Hagrid eyed him suspiciously but smiled when he saw Albus beam at Scorpius's arrival.

"Blimey! A Potter and a Malfoy – friends!" Hagrid roared with laughter. "Ne'er thought I'd see the day!"

"We're being rebels!" Albus grinned before turning to Scorpius, "Scorpius, this is Hagrid, he's our family friend!"

Scorpius politely smiled, "Scorpius Malfoy, sir. Nice to meet you."

"Sir? Blimey, no need for the formalities: just call me Hagrid." Hagrid grinned.

"Yay! We're all friends now!" Albus said excitedly. "He can join us us for tea Friday, right Hagrid?"

"Of course, any friend of yers is a friend of mine!" Hagrid winked at Al.

"He's my friend too!" Rose piped up before correcting herself, "I mean rival."

"A Malfoy, Potter, and Weasley: friends. Never thought I'd see the day. My, my how far we've come." Hagrid said amused as the crowd of first years stopped expanding. "Alright, anymore stragglers? Guess not, everyone follow me!"

Hagrid led them down a creepy dark path to some boats resting at the edge of a lake. While Hagrid instructed the students to enter the boats, gasps emitted from every mouth as a large castle came into sight. Rose, Scorpius, and Albus climbed into a boat joining a girl who had a dreamy look that reminded Rose of her Aunt Luna. The girl's dark gray eyes twinkled as she watched the trio join her. Rose noticed Albus staring at the new girl with more fascination than all the first years who were staring at the castle. Rose giggled as she thought of the only other girl Albus was awestruck by.

The girl smiled brightly as she introduced herself, "I'm Eden Lovely Smith, but everyone calls me Lovely."

"Very lovely..." Albus said absentmindedly before catching his mistake, "I mean – what a lovely name! My name is Albus Potter, Al for short."

Lovely smiled sweetly, "Nice to meet you."

For a second, Albus was shocked that the girl didn't comment on his relation to Harry Potter, but then he realized Lovely must be muggle-born. "So, where you from?" Albus questioned.

"A place called Hertfordshire." Lovely said dreamily.

"Ooh! I've read that many films are made there!" Rose speculated. "By the way, I'm Rose Weasley."

"Scorpius Malfoy." Scorpius introduced dryly after Rose gave him a kick.

"Nice to meet all of you." Lovely smiled as the boats began to move on their own. "Oh! I love how absolutely _everything_ is magical here!"

Rose nodded, "It _is_ amazing! I can't wait to start training!"

"And while you _train_, Weasley, I'll be far in advance actually achieving things." Scorpius smirked.

"We'll see whose training who, Malfoy!" Rose challenged.

"Anyway, so what's Hertfordshire like, Lovely?" Albus interjected, trying to stop another Rose-Scorpius feud.

"Where I lived, there were lots of lovely orchards I loved going to. I accidentally fell asleep there once or twice but I always turned up okay." Lovely laughed.

"I bet your parents had quite a fright!" Rose exclaimed, pondering what her parents would do if she was missing overnight before looking at the silent Scorpius who seemed to be pondering the same thought.

"I actually do wonder what my parents would have done, had I any." Lovely dreamily stated as she shook her head.

Rose's face blushed from embarrassment, "Oh, I'm sorry..."

"I do wonder..." Lovely mumbled to herself: she was in her own world now.

Albus, Rose and Scorpius all glanced at each other nervously. Scorpius decided to ignore the situation and stared at the incoming castle, while Rose mouthed Albus to say something.

Albus couldn't think of anything, so he asked the first thing that popped in his head, "Did they die?"

Rose shot a glare at Albus as Lovely came back to reality and asked, "Hm?"

With a nervous glance towards Rose, Albus asked again, "Um. Did your parents – uh – pass away?"

"Oh," Lovely pondered, "I actually don't really know. They left me when I was a baby."

"Oh..." was all Albus could reply.

Lovely sighed, "The priest tells me that all I had was nothing but a notecard containing my birthday and my first name."

Albus, being his typical optimistic self, blurted, "At least you know when your birthday is!"

To Albus's benefit, Lovely smiled so brightly at him that he turned as red as Rose's hair. "That's what I say too! Imagine not knowing my birthday or what my name is!"

The tension between the four first years was broken as they giggled (Scorpius scoffed) at Lovely and Albus's optimistic comments. The boats finally reached the shores of Hogwarts Castle resulting in a number of gasps among the first years: saying the castle was huge was an understatement. Albus helped Lovely off the boat while Rose watched a large boy with light brown hair cause his boat to nearly topple over. Rose winced as the curly blonde still inside the boat yelled numerous insults as the boy helped her off.

"Come on, Weasley, we don't have all night." Scorpius's joked.

Before Rose could make a comeback, Scorpius offered a helping hand that she took in surprise and curiosity.

"Wow, Malfoy. Never thought you'd be able to make a friend, yet alone a girlfriend!" the blonde girl chastised.

Rose was about to protest, but was cut off by Scorpius's stern gaze which clearly told her to be quiet. Still holding her hand, Scorpius dragged Rose away as he ignored the blonde girl's further insults.

"What was _that_ about?" Rose demanded as they shoved past a giggling golden haired girl and her pale skinned friend.

"Nothing." Scorpius stated as he stalked towards Hagrid who was leading them into the castle.

"Did you know her?"

"Just let it go."

"Why was she teasing you?"

"Stop it already."

"Why didn't you defend yourself?"

"It's pointless."

"Is she one of your childhood friends?"

"Stay out of my business."

"Scorpius Malfoy!" Rose fumed yanking her hand from Scorpius's, "Stop ignoring my questions!"

"Stop being insufferable and nosy." Scorpius mumbled as he continued walking.

"I will when you start answering questions!"

With a groan, Scorpius turned to face Rose and in a hushed voice said, "Weasley, stop making a scene."

"If I stop, will you answer all my questions later?" Rose said with a mischievous smile.

Scorpius noticed students looking at them and muttered, "Fine."

Scorpius turned on his heel and walked towards Albus and Lovely who were still farther ahead.

When Rose skipped happily next to him, Scorpius asked, "Stop being happy: it's annoying me. What are you so happy about, anyway?"

"I, Rose Weasley, just got you, Scorpius Malfoy – my rival, to agree to one of my demands. One point for Rosie!" Rose sang.

"You'd better watch out, Weasley, with slyness and determination like that you may be sorted into Slytherin."

"Don't even joke about that!" Rose shrilled as she punched Scorpius's arm.

"Ow: watch it, Weasley! Why do you want to know so much about me anyway?"

"Can't anyone be curious, Malfoy?"

"Careful Weasley, sticking your nose everywhere may lead you to trouble."

The two finally reached Albus who was lingering on Lovely's every word about the different bugs she's encountered and the wizarding bugs she hoped to see.

Rose giggled as she whispered, "He's really taken to her."

"No kidding." Scorpius whispered back with amusement.

"Where were you two?" Albus demanded.

"Just ran into a bit of trouble." Rose shrugged.

"Oh, how dreadful. Hope it wasn't too bad." Lovely said as they entered the castle.

"Yeah, what happened was–"

"Ahem." Scorpius purposely coughed making Rose catch his threatening eye.

"–was that I... my shoe fell off as I got off the boat." Rose lied awfully. She always hated lying, but she knew Scorpius wouldn't answer her questionsif she didn't.

"But your shoe is still on... and dry." Albus said as they were led up a flight of stairs.

"Nobody said it fell in the lake, Al." Scorpius commented saving Rose's awful fib.

Albus eyed Scorpius and Rose suspiciously before Lovely dreamily sang, "Who's that man? He looks important."

Rose and Albus froze in delight as they recognized their Uncle Neville approaching them. Neville, who was sporting a very dashing red robe, smiled at the two cousins as he heard Albus correct Rose: _not_ _Uncle Neville, Professor Longbottom, Rosie_! As the last students climbed the top of the stairs Neville happily welcomed the first years to Hogwarts. Neville explained the purpose of the Sorting Ceremony, the honor of the House Cup, and the importance of House Unity before leading the first years in a single-filed line into the Great Hall.

Rose grabbed Albus's hand as they walked through a pair of double doors, a small gesture that calmed her nerves since they were toddlers. The hall was more wonderful than Rose could ever imagine: the ceiling was charmed with an enchanted sky; floating candles hovered everywhere; a long table full of professors stood at the end of the hall; and four large tables full of students eager to see who would join their houses. Rose looked at the Gryffindor table where most of her cousins sat. Fred and Louis, who were as inseparable as she and Albus, were making hissing noises with their younger cousin James, Albus's older brother. Albus glared at James as he saw him expressively mouth, S_lytherin._

Neville instructed the first years to stop and form a line at the front of the hall with their backs against the teachers. Rose squeezed Albus's hand tighter as the nerves from all the students' eyes got to her. Neville placed a stool and on it, an old pointed wizard's hat in front of the first years. Rose unconsciously reached for Scorpius's hand at the sight of the hat: she needed more support to calm her nerves.

"What's that?" Albus questioned.

"The sorting hat." Scorpius answered eying Rose's tightening grip.

"What are you doing, Weasley?" Scorpius hissed.

"She has an anxiety disorder." Albus answered as Rose nodded her head.

The entire hall stood in silence until the hat burst into song about the different houses.

Roars of applause came as the hat finished its song. Rose relaxed a little, almost laughing as she heard Lovely insist for an encore.

Neville, holding a long roll of parchment paper, announced: "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted: Arch, David!"

A short boy with dark hair, and Latino features walked gracefully out of line, put on the hat and sat on the stool. After a a few seconds of silence the hat called HUFFLEPUFF!

"Boot, Thomas."

A tall somewhat dark-skinned boy with light green eyes walked towards the stool as numerous girls giggled about how handsome he was. The hat shouted RAVENCLAW after barely touching his head.

Rose's nerves started coming back as David Chan and Michelle Corner were sorted into Hufflepuff; Hope Entwhistle was sorted into Ravenclaw; and her family friend, Aslan Finnigan, was sorted into Gryffindor. Albus told her to breathe deeply while the rude girl from earlier, Chanel Goyle, was sorted into Slytherin.

"Figures." Scorpius muttered as Chanel's pug-like face, full of delight, strut towards the Slytherin table.

Rose nervously bit her lip as she saw a few more kids get sorted. She didn't catch most of their names because all she could focus on was where she'd end up for the next seven years and how would her parents feel if she was not a Gryffindor.

"Malfoy, Scorpius."

Rose's ears perked up as she watched Scorpius walk forward ignoring the sniggers and whispers that were coming from every table. Rose frowned and desperately wished she could hex each gossiper. Scorpius placed the sorting hat on his head and sat down noticeably properly. After a minute of silence the hat finally yelled SLYTHERIN. The Slytherin table applaused, some more hesitantly than others, as Scorpius walked towards them with a look mixed with relief and contemplation.

Rose and Albus gave a thumbs up to Scorpius as Garret Nott, the large boy Rose earlier, was also sorted into Slytherin.

"Potter, Albus."

Albus breathed heavily as he took weak steps towards the chair. Rose wondered if James's sorting had as much speculation because many heads craned to take a look at the famous Harry Potter's son. Albus flinched as the Sorting Hat was placed on his head. Rose could see him muttering, _not Slytherin_, while the hat took as long as it did for Scorpius to yell GRYFFINDOR.

An enormous applause roared from the Gryffindor table as Albus received hugs from their older cousins, Victoire and Lucy. Rose smiled as she watched Albus punch James with "brothery love" before he took a seat between first year Gryffindors, Chloe Knight and Brooke Hart. Meanwhile, Sterling River was sorted into Ravenclaw before Rose heard Lovely's name called.

Lovely walked, or in Rose's mind danced, to the stool with a dreamy look as the Sorting Hat covered her two messy buns of brown hair. After the longest time lapse yet, the hat finally yelled HUFFLEPUFF. Lovely smiled as she danced towards her table while Rose saw Albus sulk in his seat.

After Jace Taylor and Alan Thomas, Rose finally heard her name called. She wobbled cautiously to the stool as she heard people mumble about the amount of Weasleys at Hogwarts. Rose didn't notice, but she was shaking from nerves as she climbed onto the chair. Neville, who had to retrieve the sorting hat from Alan, placed it on Rose's head whispering, "It'll be okay, Rosie. Just calm down. You're shaking far too vividly."

Rose nearly shrieked as the hat started speaking, _ANOTHER Weasley? You lot just keep coming, don't you? Now, where to put you. You're brave and loyal, a trait common among your family. Highly intelligent, just like your mother. Hmm, but what's this? An unusual sense of determination and ambition: traits common to the house your family has never been in._

"_No! Not Slytherin!_" Rose thought.

_Not Slytherin? I've been getting lots of requests for that today: besides the boy who insisted the opposite. Anyway, where to put you. Tough decision, tough decision indeed; but, above all else you seek answers so it must be RAVENCLAW_.

Rose's face paled as she walked towards her cousins, Dominique and Molly, who were the only other Weasleys not sorted into Gryffindor. Their prefect badges shined as they congratulated Rose on joining Ravenclaw where her brains would truly shine. However, disinheritance was all Rose could think of as she sat down subconsciously noting that a Zabini or two joined the Slytherin table. She wasn't sorted into Gryffindor and potentially could've been a Slytherin: what was she going to tell her parents? Rose scolded herself, first day at Hogwarts and she already managed to disappoint her parents.

Unlike her usual self, which would eagerly listen to speeches, Rose hardly paid attention as the Headmistress, Clarissa Crouch, spoke her welcome speech. At the end of her speech Headmistress Crouch introduced the Head Boy and Girl (Victoire and a young man who was sitting next to Dominique) and a new divination professor before announcing the feast to commence.

At once the tables filled with various sorts of food, but Rose, still devastated from not getting into Gryffindor, didn't eat anything. The sight must have been a phenomenon to Dominique and Molly, because Rose (who inherited her father's appetite) never passed up food. It took a pumpkin pasty waving in her face for Rose to come to her senses.

"Here, take this." Sterling River said shoving the pasty into Rose's hands. "Wasting food is never a good thing. You need your energy and nutrients."

"Thanks." Rose replied zombie-like as she bit into the pasty.

"Can you believe only four of us were sorted into Ravenclaw?" Hope Entwhistle said amused. "How rare is that?"

"Well, I overheard Professor Longbottom say that we're the smallest class in Hogwarts history since it's beginnings." Thomas Boot educated.

"Twenty of us in total." Sterling added, his clear blue eyes sparkling with amusement.

Leave it to Ravenclaws to talk about statistics at dinner, Rose scrutinized. At this point, Rose sadly concluded that she was meant to be nothing more than a nerd. She looked enviously at Albus in the Gryffindor table who was arguing with James. To avoid tears, her gaze diverted towards Lovely who chatted away happily with her fellow Hufflepuffs as she sipped merrily from her goblet. Finally, her eyes fell on Scorpius who seemed to be having just as much fun as Rose was having at the Slytherin table: Rose felt awful to admit it, but she was glad she wasn't the only one feeling miserable.

"Is there something wrong, Rose?" Hope asked as concern swept across her extremely pale skin. "You haven't piped a word since you sat here and to put it simply, you look a bit ill."

Rose sighed, "Just reviewing the fact that, I, Rose Weasley, am not brave like the rest of my family.'"

Dominique, who overheard Rose's statement, walked over and sat down next to Rose. Dominique ran her hand through her short red pixie-cut hair containing one streak of blonde. Dominique's vivid blue eyes bore into Rose's identical blue eyes.

"You know, Rosie, I had the same fear when I got sorted six years ago." Dominique comforted with her slightly monotone voice.

Rose bit her lip, "What happened? Was Uncle Bill mad?"

Dominique shook her head, "I thought he would be disappointed, considering Victoire had met every single one of his expectations her first year; however, he replied to me with an owl that said, 'Ravenclaw? Brilliant! We're so proud of you!'"

"I doubt _my_ dad will reply so light heartedly." Rose frowned. "Uncle Bill is rational."

"Maybe." Dominique agreed as she thought of her Uncle Ron, "But the point is – you still loved me when I was sorted into Ravenclaw, right?"

Rose nodded, "Of course! We're family!"

"Then your family will too!" Dominque smiled as Molly joined our conversation.

"I agree, we Weasleys love each other unconditionally!" Molly said as her hazel eyes lit up behind her rectangular glasses. "But on a similar note, Rosie, you must not forget that just because we share the same blood doesn't mean we're all the same."

Rose blinked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Let's put it this way," Molly thought for a moment, "Lucy and I are twins, right?"

Rose nodded, "Yeah, identical twins."

"Yes, we're both Weasleys _and _we share nearly every physical feature."

"Except right now your brownish-red hair is short and Lucy's is long."

"Precisely, although Lucy and I may look alike, we hold different preferences, interests and personalities. Everyone thought Lucy and I would end up in the same house, but they were wrong. Much like your predicament, everyone _expects_ you to be a Gryffindor because you're a Weasley." Molly scoffed, "However, I think you should be proud for being sorted into Ravenclaw."

"What Molly's trying to say is you should be proud that you're different." Dominique added simply.

"I think they're right, Rose." Hope joined the conversation. "Although it's brilliant. Your family history is _their_ history. What you do is _your_ history and you should take every effort to make it spectacular!"

"Very well put, young first year!" Molly beamed at Hope.

"It's what my mum and dad teach me." Hope smiled.

Rose smiled at her cousins and Hope. For the first time that day, Rose began to feel at ease. After eating a generous helping of shepherd's pie and participating in intellectual Ravenclaw debates, Rose realized she couldn't have been place in a better house: she fit in perfectly. Where else would Rose be able to develop her intellectual abilities?

After dinner, Peter Wood (the Head Boy), led everyone up the Ravenclaw tower. As everyone approached, the eagle spoke a riddle: _I know a word of letters three, add two and fewer there will be._

"To enter our common room, you must answer the question." Peter explained.

"What if you don't answer correctly?" Thomas Boot asked.

"Then you need to wait outside until someone comes out or somebody else guesses the right answer." Peter grinned. "This way you learn!"

"Oh no," Sterling groaned, "I might be out here for hours!"

"Now, any of you first years want a try at the riddle?" Peter asked.

Rose rose her hand, "The answer is 'few'."

"Well done." the Eagle said as it opened entrance to the Ravenclaw common room: a beautiful room with blue and bronze decorations and furniture.

"Good job, Weasley: I can already tell you're going to be as brilliant as your mother." Peter smiled before addressing everyone. "Now, I've already stated the rules, but if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. One of your prefects will lead you to your dormitories."

"Come along, girls." Dominique said as she led Hope and Rose across the common room.

As Rose peered at the bust of Rowena Ravenclaw, a vivid image of Rowena magically inscribing _'wit beyond measure'_ onto a tiara filled her mind.

"That was strange." Rose noted as the image faded and she realized Dominique and Hope's figures were far from her.

"Rose, hurry up!" Dominique called as she and Hope started climbing nearby stairs.

"Coming!" Rose said as she quickly walk towards the stairs.

Rose and Hope were led into a large room with two fours poster beds decorated in blue and bronze. The girls squealed realizing they had the room all to themselves. As Hope rummaged through her things, Rose immediately took out a pen and quill.

_Dear Mum and Dad,_

_Hogwarts is absolutely, to simply say it, magical! It's even better than what the books describe! I've already met many friends and I'm so excited to start classes tomorrow. I hope you were joking about disowning me, because I was sorted into Ravenclaw. Buf I figure if Mum can be both brilliant and brave I can be as well. I know it's not Gryffindor, but I hope you are both still proud (Dad especially). Well, it's getting a bit late and I still need to pack: I need all the rest I can get to score top marks in my classes tomorrow: wish me luck!_

_Miss and love you,_

_Rose_

_PS: If Aunt Ginny or Uncle Harry didn't let you know, Al got into Gryffindor. (Do you think we'll still be close because we're in different houses?)_

_PPS: Dad, in case you're upset I wasn't a Gryffindor, you might be proud of me for this one. I talked to Scorpius Malfoy and asked him to be my rival. And guess what, he said yes! Please wish me luck, because I think he's smarter than I am estimating him to be._

_PPS: Oh! You know what's strange? There are only 20 students in our class and as a result: only 4 Ravenclaws first years, 2 of them are girls (myself and Hope Entwhistle). Mad, right? On the plus side, there are only two of us sharing this room so I have a lot of space!_

Rose scanned her letter and beamed with approval. As if on cue, her bronze owl, Twilight, pecked at her window. She pet Twilight before attaching her letter to its leg. As Rose watched the owl soar through the night she couldn't help but feel excited for tomorrow. A breeze blew Rose's red hair as she accepted that it didn't matter what house she'd be in; as long as she made the most of every opportunity, Rose wouldn't live in regrets.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:_ Please remember to REVIEW! If you decide to flame: please do it with __constructive__ criticism. On a side note: I didn't even plan on doing this, but it just happened that Albus, Rose, Scorpius, and Lovely (Eden)'s first initials spell ARSE. hahaha._


End file.
